Major or minor -- Which do you find more pleasing?

[pinball1970]

I think this is major. Hard to tell where it goes. It feels minor! Anyway he is a Brit so I have stick a couple in.

 

[pinball1970]

Last one. 4.13am here and I am scouring YouTube for beautiful pieces in major keys! One sharp so G major.

 

[fresh_42]

Ok I have a couple of majors.

I looked it up. Thankfully, I found E-major for that one which I really love. Nowhere Man.

 

[Hornbein]

There's Cannibal and the Headhunter's Land of a Thousand Dances. Is it major or minor? How about The Beatles' In My Life? Laura Branigan's disco hit Gloria?

The overwhelming majority of music sticks to a scale of seven or fewer notes. The few exceptions include The Beatles two main soundtrack albums and some of the melodies of Charlie Parker. His Anthropology might contain all twelve notes.

Then there's the music of east Asia which has more than twelve notes. In the West those notes are only sung by little children.

 

[DennisN]

Yes, I do like The Magic Flute and his g-minor, however, in general, he annoys me.

What's the problem? Is it "too many notes"? (see below )

 

[pinball1970]

I looked it up. Thankfully, I found E-major for that one which I really love. Nowhere Man.

I have just been through it on YouTube. Yes E major BUT the minors make it! Actually a lot of things make it, harmony, George solo, middle section.
Lennon made use of his relative minors, F#m for the A then Am itself but with C in the bass which I didn't know he played it like that.

 

[pinball1970]

There's Cannibal and the Headhunter's Land of a Thousand Dances. Is it major or minor? How about The Beatles' In My Life? Laura Branigan's disco hit Gloria?

The overwhelming majority of music sticks to a scale of seven or fewer notes. The few exceptions include The Beatles two main soundtrack albums and some of the melodies of Charlie Parker. His Anthropology might contain all twelve notes.

Then there's the music of east Asia which has more than twelve notes. In the West those notes are only sung by little children.

My life is in A major, the pretty part is major to minor D to DM.
I tried to learn the piano solo, a bit hard!

Gloria? That's a curve ball ! I'll check. EDIT. major although the intro is 1 5 repeat so can't tell till the rest comes in.
Similar chords to Nowhere Man, verse anyway.

Richie Blackmore used Asian scales in Mandrake Root 1970. Insane guitar solo.

 

[pinball1970]

@Hornbein This is in E major but the riffs are blues scales and the dominant chord is that satanic E7#9 that Jimi loved. Anyway Arabic scales and insanity at 8.40 the track is 17 minutes.

 

[DennisN]

Which triad sounds most pleasing to you?
[...]
No right or wrong answer here. I am just curious as to others views.

If it comes to choosing between just major and minor, and I am forced to choose, I would say major.
But really I think that some songs need major and some minor, and quite many need both (I mean different chords in the song).
So, I'd say, it depends on the song and what feeling(s) it is intended to convey.

By the way, here's a fun short clip where David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) quickly describes how he came up with the famous intro harmony to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and he also describes what feeling he got from it:

David Gilmour Talks About How He Found Shine On

 

[pinball1970]

What's the problem? Is it "too many notes"? (see below )

Brilliant Film. I love Mozart but I am not keen on Opera at all so I miss out so much stuff.
The requiem though? Wow. I will put up a version. If it's not in a minor key I will be very surprised!

 

[DennisN]

The requiem though? Wow. I will put up a version. If it's not in a minor key I will be very surprised!

I was thinking of mentioning Requiem . It is ridiculously good.
Of course it's in minor, it's dark as the night .

Edit: I just checked on youtube, it's in D minor;

Mozart - Requiem in D minor (Complete/Full) [HD]

 

[hutchphd]

Minor Bach

Minor Wagner

 

[pinball1970]

Minor Bach

When I saw the thumbnail I thought it would sound empty, piano so not peddle notes, wrong sound.
They managed to get through ok!

 

[hutchphd]

The Bugs Bunny (and Elmer Fudd) cartoon "What's Opera Doc" has pretty much ruined Der Valkyrie for me......but worth it! (Also Elmer Fudd is not a raging antisemite )

 

[fresh_42]

(Also Elmer Fudd is not a raging antisemite )

Yes, that's a problem, but if Barenboim can conduct Wagner in Israel, then I can focus on the work, too, regardless of the fact that I would have hated him in real life. Ford was an antisemite, too. Yet millions of people drive their cars!

 

[DennisN]

What's the problem? Is it "too many notes"? (see below )

Just for clarification, @fresh_42 , I didn't post the Amadeus clip to make fun of you . When I read your post about Mozart I instantly thought of that scene which I think is hilarious, it's one of my favorites, so I just had to post it .

(and the movie itself is also one of my personal favorites)

 

[fresh_42]

Just for clarification, @fresh_42 , I didn't post the Amadeus clip to make fun of you . When I read your post about Mozart I instantly thought of that scene which I think is hilarious, it's one of my favorites, so I just had to post it .

(and the movie itself is also one of my personal favorites)

No, problem, it is a beautiful piece of art. It's only that Mozart doesn't touch me as Beethoven or Tchaikovsky does.

 

[DennisN]

Beethoven or Tchaikovsky

Beethoven and Tchaikovsky are two of my absolute favorite composers, besides Bach.

 

[BWV]

How about the other diatonic modes? Lydian is more major than major (F to F on the white keys of a piano)



Mixolydian, G to G on the white keys, is less major than major



Dorian is less minor than minor (D to D on the white keys)



Phrygian, starting on E on the white keys, is darker than minor



Locrian is the odd duck, with a flattened 5th is the odd duck and does not show up except in some metal tunes

 

[Astronuc]

beautiful pieces in major keys! One sharp so G major.

Re: RVW

 

[Hornbein]

Disco Inferno is about equally major and minor.

 

[pinball1970]

Disco Inferno is about equally major and minor.

yes just checked the chords.

ECHOs does the same thing but only with the verse for the same or very similar melody. Very effective.

Cold play used the same trick on Spies

 

[Sagittarius A-Star]

W.A. Mozart - Mass In C Minor; K. 427, Kyrie ("Amadeus" Soundtrack)

 

[Sagittarius A-Star]

Confutatis Amadeus movie plus scrolling music score

 

[Astronuc]

Minor Bach

I was trying to find a really good rock version, but I can't remember who did it.

 

[pinball1970]

I was trying to find a really good rock version, but I can't remember who did it.

Sky did a version in the 1980s. Very good musicians.

 

[pinball1970]

I was trying to find a really good rock version, but I can't remember who did it.

This?

 

[Sagittarius A-Star]

Karl Richter spielt die TOCCATA UND FUGE D MOLL BWV 565 von J S Bach

 

[DennisN]

Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon) "plays" the Toccata and Fugue in The Great Race (1965) :

 

[Astronuc]

I personally find minor chords as having a very resonant sound. Some find Major chords as being the more resonant ( this group views minor chords as dissonant )

I think a great artist blends major and minor chords.

Take for example, the song/tune, Firth of Fifth, by Genesis (Tony Banks) from their 1973 album, "Selling England by the Pound".

Tony Banks was classically trained.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Banks_(musician)

Live version: Steve Hackett does a beautiful guitar solo considered one of the top solos in Progressive Rock.

An analysis by Doug Helvering of the studio version